House of Representatives of Shuna
The House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Shuna (Simplified chinese: 大顺联邦众议院; traditional Chinese: 大順聯邦眾議院; pinyin: Dàshùn Liánbāng Zhòngyìyuàn) is the sole chamber of the legislature of Shuna. The House and the Queen of Shuna together constitute the Parliament of Shuna. The House of Representatives passes all laws, provides ministers to form a cabinet, and supervises the work of the Government. It is also responsible for adopting the state's budgets and approving the state's accounts. The House of Representatives is a wholly democratically elected body, usually consisting of 33 members known as Members of Parliament (MPs). Members are elected for limited terms, holding office until Parliament is dissolved (a maximum of three years). A government is formed from the party or coalition with the majority of MPs. If no majority is possible then a minority government can be formed with a confidence and supply arrangement. The seat of the House of Representatives is the Parliament House in Shunjing, the capital city. Constitutional function The House of Representatives takes the House of Commons of the United Kingdom as its model. The Parliament of Shuna is based on the Westminster system (that is, the model of the Parliament of the United Kingdom). As a democratic institution, the primary role of the House of Representatives is to provide representation for the people and to pass legislation on behalf of the people. The executive branch of the government of Shuna (the cabinet) draws its membership exclusively from the House of Representatives. Although it does not elect the Prime Minister, the position of the parties in the House of Representatives is of overriding importance. By convention, a prime minister is answerable to, and must maintain the support of, the House of Representatives. Thus, whenever the office of prime minister falls vacant, the governor-general appoints the person most likely to command the support of the House—normally the leader of the largest party. This support is immediately tested through a motion of confidence. Members of Parliament ]] The House of Representatives normally consists of 33 members, known as "Members of Parliament" (MPs). The Speaker of the House of Representatives has overall charge of the administration of the House, and presides over sittings. The Leader of the House is an MP appointed by the Prime Minister to arrange government business and the legislative programme of Parliament, while the Leader of the Opposition is the MP who leads the largest opposition party. Elections Members of Parliament are directly elected to three-year terms, subject to calls for early elections. All Shunese citizens 18 years or older may vote in general elections, which are conducted by secret ballot. A form of proportional representation called Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) has been used. Under the MMP system each person has two votes; one is for electoral seats and the other is for a party. Passage of legislation The Parliament's model for passing Acts of Parliament is similar (but not identical) to that of other Westminster system governments. Laws are initially proposed in Parliament as bills. They become Acts after being approved three times by Parliamentary votes and then receiving Royal Assent from the Governor-General. The majority of bills are promulgated by the government of the day (that is, the party or parties that have a majority in Parliament). It is also possible for individual MPs to promote their own bills, called member's bills; these are usually put forward by opposition parties, or by MPs who wish to deal with a matter that parties do not take positions on. Proxy voting is allowed, in which members may designate a party or another member to vote on their behalf. An excuse is required. Select committees Legislation is scrutinised by select committees. The committees can call for submissions from the public, thereby meaning that there is a degree of public consultation before a parliamentary bill proceeds into law. The strengthening of the committee system was in response to concerns that legislation was being forced through, without receiving due examination and revision. Each select committee has a chairperson and a deputy chairperson. MPs may be members of more than one select committee. Other functions The House also has several other important functions. *Questions may be asked of Ministers, select committee chairs, and members in charge of bills every sitting day. Category:Politics